Lord Voldemort
Lord Voldemort (real named as Tom Marvolo Riddle, born in December 31, 1926 – died in May 2, 1998, or simply Voldemort) is the main antagonist of the Harry Potter book and film franchise. He is a very powerful Dark Wizard and the leader of the Death Eaters, who aims to take over the wizarding world and shape it following his supremacist views, and the archenemy of Harry Potter. Background Backstory Lord Voldemort is originally known as Tom Marvolo Riddle. Tom's family on his mother Merope's side were the last of the House of Gaunt; an ancient and formerly wealthy wizarding family that was noted for producing individuals with violent and unstable personalities due to generations of inbreeding. Because of the family's liking for grandeur in tandem with little sensibility at their indulgences meant the family gold was left in ashes long before the last of the lineage was born. His grandfather Marvolo Gaunt and his uncle Morfin Gaunt were two of the last known male descendants of Slytherin. Tom's father Tom Riddle Snr was a wealthy Muggle living in the village of Little Hangleton, near the Gaunt shack, who was tricked into a relationship with Merope through probable use of a love potion. After some time, it is speculated by Albus Dumbledore that Merope discontinued her use of love potions on Tom, in the hopes that he had really fallen in love with her, or would at least stay for their child's sake. To Merope's great sorrow, he abandoned her and their unborn child. Tom Marvolo Riddle was born on 31 December, 1926 at Wool's Orphanage in London. His pure-blood mother, Merope Gaunt staggered to the door of the orphanage, had Tom born in there, and died shortly after his birth. Tom Riddle grew up in a dingy orphanage, completely unaware of his wizarding heritage. Since the Muggle orphanage staff did not know anything about his mother, they did not know about his magical background. Instead, they believed that Merope was a circus worker, as Mrs Cole told Albus Dumbledore shortly before his first meeting with Tom. It is unknown whether or not the orphanage staff relayed this to Tom before his first encounter with Dumbledore. Despite his ignorance of his mother's true background, Tom did have some grasp on his abilities beyond that of normal magical children of his same age, however, and an unusually high degree of control over them. Tom could move objects with his mind and cause them to travel floating wherever he wished, manipulate animals and creatures as he wished, speak Parseltongue, and use his power to inflict harm on other orphans. After getting into a fight with fellow orphan Billy Stubbs, he used his powers to hang the boy's rabbit from the rafters. On one occasion, he took two orphans, Dennis Bishop and Amy Benson, into a cave, where he performed an act so horrifying that the two orphans were traumatised into silence. Young Tom Riddle also stole from other orphans and hid their things in his cupboard like trophies. Albus Dumbledore later stopped him from this hobby and warned him that Hogwarts does not tolerate thievery. When Tom was eleven, Albus Dumbledore, the transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, talked to Mrs Cole first, who informed him of how unusual Tom was, sharing tales of his extraordinary influence over the other children. When Dumbledore was at last introduced to the boy, Tom at first believed him to be a doctor or psychiatrist of some sort, come to take him to an asylum because of what the orphanage staff had seen.He was convinced after Dumbledore demonstrated his power by using a Flame-Freezing Charm on Tom's cupboard, and when he revealed that Hogwarts was a school for people with magic, which Tom realised his abilities were. At a very early age, it was clear that Tom displayed a desire to be different and set apart from others (as it was hinted when he mentioned his dislike of his own name, because it was such a common name). He was not surprised at all upon being informed by Dumbledore that he was a wizard — he was, in fact, eager to believe that he had special gifts that no one else had. Tom also showed an eminent fear of death, considering it a human weakness. He claimed that his mother could not have been a witch, because if she was magical, then she would have been able to avoid dying, and thought his father was a wizard. Tom's abuse of his wizarding powers alarmed Albus. He resolved to keep a close eye on him, something he should have done in any case, seeing as he was "alone and friendless". Dumbledore also warned Tom that at Hogwarts he would be introduced to the laws that controlled the usage of magic in the wizarding world, and that law-breakers were punished with severity not by Hogwarts but the Ministry of Magic. Riddle's demeanour changed after Dumbledore reprimanded him; he became more guarded and shielded his reactions. Dumbledore provided Riddle with enough information to find Diagon Alley and Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Professor Dumbledore also provided Tom Riddle with a stipend from school funds so that he could purchase his books, equipment and so on. Travelling on his own to Diagon Alley, Riddle bought some second-hand robes and spell books for himself, along with his wand-thirteen and a half inches; yew; phoenix feather core — at Ollivander's. Garrick Ollivander later said that the wand was very powerful; Voldemort was very pleased with it until the wand failed him during his confrontation with Harry Potter in the Little Hangleton graveyard, many years later. Riddle also mentioned that he was a Parselmouth, which surprised Dumbledore. Personality Lord Voldemort, as described by the authoress J.K. Rowling, is "the most evil wizard for hundreds and hundreds of years". She elaborated that he is a "raging psychopath, devoid of the normal human responses to other people's suffering", and whose only ambition in life is to become all-powerful and immortal. He is also a sadist who hurts and murders people – especially Muggles – just for pleasure. He has no conscience, feels no remorse, and does not recognise the worth and humanity of anybody except himself. He feels no need for human companionship or friendship, and cannot comprehend love or affection for another. He believes he is superior to everyone around him, to the point that he frequently refers to himself in the third-person as "Lord Voldemort." Rowling also stated that Voldemort is "incredibly power hungry. Racist, really", and that if Voldemort were to look into the Mirror of Erised, he would see "Himself, all-powerful and eternal. That's what he wants." Rowling also stated that Voldemort's conception by influence of Amortentia — a love potion administered by the witch Merope Gaunt to the Muggle Tom Riddle — is related to his inability to understand love; it is "a symbolic way of showing that he came from a loveless union – but of course, everything would have changed if Merope had survived and raised him herself and loved him. The enchantment under which Tom Riddle fathered Voldemort is important because it shows coercion, and there can’t be many more prejudicial ways to enter the world than as the result of such a union". Like most archetypical villains, Voldemort's arrogance leads to his downfall. He also suffers from a pathological fear of death, which he regards as a shameful and ignominious human weakness. According to Rowling, his Boggart would be his own corpse. Rowling also said that the difference between Harry and Voldemort is that Harry accepts mortality, and thus Harry is in the end stronger than his nemesis. Physical Appearance In his early years, Tom Riddle was an extremely handsome boy. He was described as having jet black hair, perfectly carved features, and dark eyes. As he grew, and became more involved in the Dark Arts, he was deathly pale, his face waxy and oddly distorted, and the white of his eyes now had a permanently bloody look. He continued to go through many transformations, until he became what he is. He is tall, and skeletally thin. His face is an almost opaque texture, with deep, dark scarlet eyes set in slits, like a cat's gleaming in the dark. His nose is as flat as a snake's, leaving small incisions for nostrils, and his fingers are unnaturally long, like a spider's legs. He can usually be seen wearing his black hooded cloak that always covers his face. Appearances Films ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Lord Voldemort is mentioned and appeared in a flashback where he breaks into the Potter residence and murders both James and Lily Potter. And when he attempts to kill their infant son Harry Potter, the spell rebounds on him, ripping his soul from his body and destroying his powers. Lord Voldemort had been defeated by the one-year-old boy because Lily's love for her son created an invisible and powerful defense in Harry's skin when she died for him. Afterwards, Voldemort flees to the Albanian Forest, to wait for the time to return to power. Fortunately for Lord Voldemort, Professor Quirrell is wandering into the forest while on a vacation, and he makes him into his follower. In 1991 - 1992, Voldemort orders Quirrell to steal Nicolas Flamel's Philosopher's Stone from a vault in Gringotts Bank, so he can make the Elixir of Life. However, it had been removed by Hagrid right before Quirrell could steal it. Lord Voldemort then possesses Quirrell and takes form on the back of his head, which is concealed by a turban. Quirrell often drinks Unicorn blood to sustain his master. Quirrell tricks Hagrid into telling him about Fluffy, the three headed Hound that was the first guard of the Philosopher's stone at Hogwarts. Now all they need was a way to get into the Forbidden Corridor. Severus Snape is suspicious, however, and when Quirrell lets loose a Troll in the dungeons as a distraction, Snape blocks him off. Voldemort has Quirrell send a fake letter to Dumbledore, asking him to go to the Ministry of Magic, then moves on with their plan. They beat their way through the security enchantments and reach the Mirror of Erised. There, Quirrell sees himself presenting the stone to his master, but cannot get it. It is only when Harry arrives that they can retrieve the stone, as "only those who wanted the stone, but not use it, could get it from the mirror." Voldemort figures this out, and Quirrell attacks Harry, but when he touches Harry, his hands blister. Harry places his hands on Quirrell's face, severely injuring and finally killing him. Lord Voldemort's soul flees when Dumbledore barges in, once more without a body. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Lord Voldemort returns to the Albanian forest, weaker than ever. He had to wait for another to help him. In 1992, Lucius Malfoy places a diary containing the soul fragments of Voldemort embedded in it into Ginny Weasley's cauldron who brought it to Hogwarts. She comes in contact with the 16-year-old-Riddle Horcrux, who feigns to comfort her to manipulate her. Riddle's memory learns all he could about his future self's defeat and Harry Potter. He slowly drains the life away from Ginny Weasley, and put her under his control. He makes her open the Chamber of Secrets and release the Basilisk, kill Hagrid's roosters, and write threatening messages on the wall in rooster blood. Gradually, Ginny becomes suspicious, so she throws the diary away in Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom. Harry and Ron accidentally stumble upon it, and Harry begins communicating with Tom. Tom misleads Harry about who opened the Chamber of Secrets, convincing him it was Hagrid. When Ginny sees that Harry had the Diary, she steals it back for she doesn’t want Harry to find out all the things she had done while under its influence. When Tom is ready to take his physical form from Ginny's life, he lures her into the Chamber of Secrets. The switch is almost complete when Harry found them. Tom summons the Basilisk to kill Harry, but Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes arrives and blinds the monster. Fawkes also brings the Sorting Hat, from which Harry withdraws Godric Gryffindor's Sword. He kills the Basilisk, getting poisoned by one of its fangs, which he uses to stab the Diary, unknowingly destroying one of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Lord Voldemort is mentioned in the 2004 film. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire In 1994, Peter Pettigrew, who had been hidding in his Animagus form of Scabbers, Ron's rat, ever since his Master's defeat, was unmasked and flees, eventually returning to his Master. He milks venom from Nagini the snake to built a rudimentary body that Voldemort can travel and perform magic with. Pettigrew also captures Bertha Jorkins, a Ministry Official. Peter overhears her talking about a Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts, and Voldemort uses a Memory charm to retrieve the information from her, overpowering the previous Memory Charm cast upon her. He then finds out about the whereabouts of a loyal Death Eater, Bartemius Crouch Jr, who Crouch Sr. was forcefully hiding in his home, after freeing him from Azkaban. Voldemort has Pettigrew carry him to the old Riddle manor house, where they kill the groundskeeper Frank Bryce for overhearing their plan; and then to the Crouch home where they placed Crouch Sr. under the Imperius Curse, freeing Crouch Jr. They return to the Riddle home, where Voldemort instructs Wormtail and Crouch Jr. to capture Alastor Moody, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts. Crouch Jr. drinks Polyjuice potion with a few hairs of Alastor Moody, and goes to Hogwarts to make Harry participate in the Triwizard Tournament. The fake Moody helps Harry through all the challenges, and when Cedric and Harry grab the Triwizard Cup (which, unbeknownst to them, was a Portkey), they are transported to outside the Riddle mansion, where Peter and Voldemort are waiting. Pettigrew kills Cedric, and uses Harry's blood in a ritual for his master's rebirth. Voldemort regains his body, and calls his Death Eaters. Those who are perhaps most loyal to him, save for those who willingly went to Azkaban in his name, appear. He then tries to kill Harry, but since their wands were made from the same Phoenix's feathers, the core wands connect, and those who were killed by Voldemort's wand come out as spectral beings, including Harry's parents. Harry pulls away, and the beings give him enough time to grab Cedric's body and the Triwizard Cup to return to the Hogwarts grounds. Barty Crouch Jr. is discovered, and given the Dementors' kiss before he can stand trial, leaving the only knowledge of Voldemort's return as Harry's word, which isn't taken seriously by most. Due to this, Voldemort is able to operate in secret. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Lord Voldemort keeps quiet about his return, and only few believe he is back. Yet Dumbledore starts the Order of the Phoenix again, this time with a head start. In 1995, Voldemort is now after the Prophecy in the Department of Mysteries, to hear the whole of it. Voldemort uses the Imperius curse on an Unspeakable: Broderick Bode, and sends him in to get it. However, Bode is seriously injured, and put into a permanent ward at St. Mungo's, where he is eventually murdered by a Devil's Snare plant delivered to his bedside. Voldemort then learns that only the people the Prophecy is about are able to touch it, although understandably he couldn't risk going into the Ministry himself for fear of exposure. During this period of time, many of Voldemort's most loyal followers, such as Bellatrix Lestrange, escape from Azkaban and return to his side. Eventually he becomes aware of Harry seeing through his eyes, so he sets up a false vision, of Sirius being tortured at the Ministry. Harry, Hermione, Ron, Luna Lovegood, Ginny and Neville hurry to rescue him, as Voldemort predicted. Now that Harry had gotten the Prophecy, all they need is to get it from him, but they put up a fight during which the prophecy is smashed. In the end, Voldemort appears and tries to kill Harry, but ends up duelling Dumbledore. After a destructive battle with Dumbledore, Voldemort possesses Harry, telling Dumbledore to kill him now, but he flees when Cornelius Fudge and other Ministry officials arrive, now convinced of his return. Many of Voldemort's Death Eaters, including Lucius Malfoy, are incarcerated and sent to Azkaban, though by this time the Dementors have left to side with the Dark Lord. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Lord Voldemort only appears in the flashbacks. Now that Voldemort no longer needs to keep his actions silent, he wages a second war against the Ministry of Magic. Mass Muggle killings and destruction, are rampant. In 1996, he makes Draco Malfoy a Death Eater, requiring a loyal follower within the school. He instructs Draco to kill Dumbledore, for he wishes to punish Lucius Malfoy by giving his son a task he cannot do. If he fails, he will meet terrible consequences. In the end, Malfoy is able to sneak a group of Death Eaters into the Castle through a pair of Vanishing Cabinets (the second of which was located in Borgin and Burke's), and the Battle of Hogwarts ensues. Voldemort's plans are carried out, as Severus Snape kills Dumbledore (to save Malfoy, for he had made an Unbreakable Vow with Draco's mother, Narcissa). Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 Voldemort makes Malfoy Manor his headquarters. During the summer of 1997, he captures the Muggle Studies teacher at Hogwarts, Charity Burbage, and kills her before he feeds her to Nagini. He also questions the kidnapped wandmaker, Ollivander, about why his wand reacted so with Harry Potter's wand. Olivander tells him that Voldemort needed another's wand and so he takes Lucius Malfoy's wand. When Harry is removed for the last time from his Muggle home; Voldemort flies to the scene where his Death Eaters are fighting with Order of the Phoenix airborne. He kills Mad-Eye Moody and then heads straight toward Harry. There Voldemort attempts to duel with Harry, but Harry's wand releases a spurt of golden fire at him and destroys Lucius' wand. (Harry's wand absorbs a fraction of Voldemort's magic during their duel at the graveyard.) Harry manages to reach the protection of Nymphadora Tonks' parents home (he is taken to the Burrow in the film) and Voldemort is forced to retreat. Angrily, he returns to Malfoy Manor and demands from Ollivander to answer why Harry's wand yet again reacted towards him, even with a completely different wand. Ollivander tells him truthfully that never in Wandlore has he ever heard of such thing happening. Infuriated, Voldemort resolves that he needs the most powerful wand known to man to defeat Harry Potter: the Elder Wand, the Deathstick, The Wand of Destiny. He sets out to assume mastery of the Elder Wand, not knowing that it is one of the 3 legendary Deathly Hallows. During the wedding of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour, Kingsley Shacklebolt announces through his Patronus that the Minister for Magic is dead and that the Ministry of Magic has fallen to Voldemort, giving him control over the entire Wizarding England. He establishes a totalitarian police state in its place and has all Muggle-Borns persecuted and imprisoned in Azkaban. Voldemort travels to Germany, in search of the wandmaker, Gregorovich. Eventually, Voldemort finally finds Gregorovich, who informs Voldemort that the Wand was stolen from him. Voldemort then performs Legilimency on him and sees a blond young man who steals the wand and disappears in the darkness. Since Gregorovich doesn’t know who the thief was, Voldemort kills him. When Harry Potter and Hermione Granger go to Godric's Hollow, they fall into a trap devised by the Dark Lord, who knew that they would go there. Nagini, whom Voldemort had disguised as the historian Bathilda Bagshot, manages to capture Harry, and calls Voldemort. Harry escapes shortly before Voldemort arrives however, and Voldemort finds not Harry, but a picture of the thief at the scene. Voldemort realizes that the thief is none other than the Dark Wizard, Gellert Grindelwald, whom Albus Dumbledore defeated. He breaks into the prison where Grindelwald was being held, where Grindelwald tells him that the Elder Wand is with Dumbledore in his grave. Voldemort immediately goes and breaks into Dumbledore's grave and steals the Wand. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2'' Following this, Voldemort becomes aware that Harry Potter and his friends are seeking his Horcruxes, and realizes that three of them have been stolen, with another destroyed. Voldemort returns to Hogwarts following these revelations, to quell a revolution sparked by the arrival of Harry Potter. He rounds up his entire army of Death Eaters, giants, dementors and Acromantulas and, after not receiving Harry, commands them to fight the Aurors, teachers, and students who were of age. Voldemort himself isn't present at the Battle; he is investigating why the Elder Wand doesn't work any differently than his old one. He comes to the conclusion that Severus Snape is the true master of the Elder Wand and orders Nagini to murder him. Voldemort then calls a one-hour armistice, requesting Harry Potter in exchange for peace and no further deaths. Unbeknownst to Voldemort, Harry carries within him a seventh Horcrux, formed when Voldemort failed to kill him. When Harry meets Voldemort, Voldemort hits him with a Killing Curse almost immediately, but only destroys the Horcrux within, for when Voldemort used Harry's blood in the potion, it kept his mother's protection alive. Harry is knocked to the ground and feigns death. Voldemort then marchs to Hogwarts, proclaiming the death of Harry Potter and his victory. Neville Longbottom responds defiantly and draws the Sword of Gryffindor from the Sorting Hat. Harry then reveals that he's still alive, much to Voldemort's shock and anger. Many of his Death Eaters, including the Malfoys, abandon him. Harry and Voldemort duel throughout the castle. Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione are busy trying to kill Nagini, and Molly Weasley kills Bellatrix Lestrange in the Great Hall after she attacks Ginny. In the battlements, Harry throws himself and Voldemort off the roof and they fly around the castle, eventually crashing into the entry courtyard. Just as Nagini is about to kill Ron and Hermione, Neville beheads her with the Sword of Gryffindor. Voldemort breaks off his attack temporarily, realizing he has no more Horcruxes left, and aims a final Killing Curse at Harry, who responds with Expelliarmus, and forces Voldemort's Killing Curse right back at him, disarming him and causing him to disintegrate. After his death, the jinx Voldemort put on The Defence Against the Dark Arts position was broken and the Dark Mark signs Voldemort gave to his minions faded from their arm, reduced into nothing but scars. Since the Horcruxes damaged Voldemort's soul to the point that he couldn't even become a ghost: he is stunted to exist in the baby-like form that Harry saw when he was in limbo, unable to cross over into the afterlife for all of eternity. Video games Relationships Quotes Gallery Trivia *The name Voldemort comes from the French "vol de mort", meaning "flight of death" or more figuratively "theft of death". (In correct French pronunciation, the T at the end is silent; however, it is generally pronounced by English-speakers.) *In the first film, Voldemort's eyes are shown to be red, but in the forth film, his eyes are changed to blue. *Voldemort is considered to be one of Warner Bros.' most evil villains (along with Thrax, Kent Mansley, Mr. Tinkles, Arjen Rudd, Dolores Umbridge, The Grand High Witch, Ruber and Kralahome) *Voldemort has some similarities with another Warner Bros. villain Ruber from Quest for Camelot. **Both are dark lords. **Both have deformed facial looks. **Both wear black - Voldemort has a black robe and Ruber has a black cleavage with red armor. **Both turned to the dark side ***Tom Riddle became interested with the dark arts and becomes the most evil wizard called Voldemort. ***Ruber became increasingly obsessed with the idea of being King; becoming a rebellious traitor, Ruber fled Camelot and became the insane evil former knight. **Both have murderous teams of followers who joined the dark side - Voldemort has a gender-mixed team of Death Eaters while Ruber has a barbaric team of men. **Both use dark magic - Voldemort uses his wand and Ruber uses his magic potion. **Both have loyal pets (Nagini and The Griffin). **Both tried to kill the main protagonists (Harry Potter and Kayley), but failed. **Both murder the main protagonist's parent (Voldemort murdered both James and Lily Potter, and Ruber has only killed Sir Lionel). **Both met their deaths by being vaporized - The rebounded killing curse for Voldemort and the stone for Ruber. 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